Dropping August 21 on Clairaudience Collective Recordings, the Somnambulants’ second album, “Paper Trail,” is a great electropop synth record in the tradition of New Order, but much less depressing. The band is two people, Joseph White (producer/vocals/bass) and Channing Sargent (keyboards/vocals). It’s a nonstop electro-party.
I’m not generally a fan of this genre–I find it kind of tired and dull–but this one I enjoyed quite a bit. Maybe it’s because of songs like “The Facts,” which begins with heavy percussion and slowly lets the bass creep in, and only lets the keyboards in towards the end of the second minute of the tune. Surprising. Or the really fun and funny Spanish tune, “La Chica Musical,” with a straight David Byrne vocal style and carnivale music. Love it!
Plus, although they’re currently based in San Francisco, they originally hail from Brooklyn. Brooklynnnnn!
From “Paper Trail:”
Other cool stuff:
